Neshek: 2007 Upper Deck Goudey

My latest box break was 2007 Upper Deck Goudey. I was interested to see what was inside because I didn't really know much about the cards other than the fact that they are supposed to resemble the original 1933 Goudey set. In the past couple years, there's been a surge of brands that resemble older brands. For example, we had this year's Topps Heritage (1958 Topps), Turkey Red (original TR), Allen & Ginter and a couple other brands.

First, here are the details: There are 24 packs that contain eight cards per pack. There's one autograph and one game-used card on average per hobby box. Overall, there are 288 cards in the set with a lot of variation and numbered cards. One thing that really caught my attention is that there's a chance to pull an original card from the 1933 set. How cool would it be to pull an original Nap Lajoie No. 106 card!

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was a top loader -- a card of basketball player Kevin Durant. I wish that thing had an autograph on it!

Opening the first pack, my first impression was that these cards are different than normal-size cards. They're all about half the size of a normal card. I also got two Albert Pujols and Troy Tulowitzki cards. After looking closer, I noticed that four of the cards have greenish colored backs and the others are red. This is one of the variations I talked about above.

In pack No. 2 I got similar results, four greenish backs with four red colored backs. About halfway through, I did get a Kei Igawa and Nolan Ryan card that had cartoon bodies on them -- part of an insert set called "Heads Up." The insert set is named after the 1938 Goudey set that was called "Heads Up." I'm not sure if this is part of the base set or not because they have numbering in the high 200's.

Also, I just checked the Short Print List and it contains most guys that are superstars right now or retired players. After completing the box, my only complaint is the red and green backs seemed to really create the doubles. I would get the same guy with just different color on the back.

Here's how I fared with my box:

Autograph Card -- Kevin Kouzmanoff
Game Used Jersey Card -- Richie Sexson
Green Back set complete -- 82 of 200
Green Back Short Prints -- six
Red Back Set Complete -- 95 of 200
Goudey Head's Up -- three
Goodey Head's Up With Writing -- three

My final thoughts on 2007 Upper Deck Goudey:

I'm a fan and I would honestly consider trying to complete this set. Most Upper Deck brands contain excellent photography, tough SP's and a wide number of autographs. This set is different and, to me, really resembled something Topps would produce.

Usually when I think of Upper Deck I think of top-notch photography with lots of autographs from young stars. This set was different because it took on the feel of an older brand, which made it fun and interesting. You could try to recreate the feel of opening original packs of Goudey from the '30s.

Bottom line: I'm a fan and if you want a unique twist on an old card design, you should give these cards a look.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.